Recently unearthed Remains of Genocide Victims in one of the Many Mass Graves Scattered around the Country

By Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye

Unlike South Africa’s and Rwandan’s perpetrators appearing in Truth Commission, Open Courts respectively, Somalia’s former war criminals in Somaliland’s 1988 Deadly War live feely in the world not just with immunity but with privilege being rewarded with ministerial and deputy heads of state posts. Furthermore, Somaliland’s so called foreign minister, insensitive man to the pain, and suffering of his unfortunate folks, retired from his job at the UN to Somaliland, system accountable to none to suck bone marrow of the remaining victims of Siyad Barre and on behalf of junior lad signed the word atrocity deliberately rather than genocide or massacre signaling that Somaliland victims have died in vain! In contrary, He launched what he called “economic diplomacy” which he meant to collect advances of millions of dollars from raw material hungry China and the West major oil firms to dry up the national resources of the unborn generations in weeks! The soil is for sale, and maritime resources are free for Thailand fishers in return of few bucks. During his launch of this inhuman policy, he signaled no more search for recognition “we want money, money, that is” .

Are Somalilanders less value than Darfurians or countable Kenyans who died in post-election violence?  International Criminal Court still wants Kenyan sitting president to be brought to the court for the sake of just one thousand people died while ignoring more than fifty thousand innocent Somalilanders whose lives perished at the metal belt of the moving tanks and shelling civilian populated areas in major cities in Somaliland according to this conservative number.  However; any number of loss of lives are bad, but what double standards! And what gross injustice!

While Hamish Wilson, a foreign journalist with heart deeply attached to this people who firsthand witnessed the magnitude of death and destruction in Hargayas in 1991 wisely stated what occurred there “…, genocide happened here (Somaliland) but the world ignored”, Bihi Yonis and his bunch of ignorant laymen signed atrocity which is not just understatement of the tragedy but insult to us because most dictionaries define atrocity as wicked act, and nothing to do with killing whatsoever.  In fact, Kenyan grown friend of mine told me atrocity can be described about if car goes off the road and runs into tree killing its occupants brutally! Is this what happened here? Waar ma gaadhi baa ina la dhacay! If so let it be.

Similarly, in the sixties agitated ignorant bunch of drivers led by late Ibrahim Egal, escaping from educated fellow countrymen and women  like late Somali Lawyer and Writer Yusuf Duhul, went to Mogadishu and scrapped Somaliland independence in return of few MPs and education minister or similar! At least five decades later, Somaliland has been thrown into worst level of degradation by immoral insensitive conmen who represent none other than their vested interests. We, Somaliland public, never learnt any lesson from the history. Now Hirsi and his ilk hired Bihi Yonis as an interpreter for tribal business delegates— because national parties were excluded then they lost domestic legitimacy— how else do you explain some one trained  at the Harvard do this to his people if he was an fit and independent?   Looking back Somaliland turbulent history, Somalilanders feel regret and start biting tongue.   Always things go wrong not because they are enormous but the people in the steering are feeble and narrow-minded mobs.

Somaliland statesmen are lacking leadership, maturity, and diplomatic dexterity. Somaliland never produced a leader but plenty of clerks who either worked for the UN or other countries. I observed one thing Somaliland born clerks are good at working for foreign parties since colonial era “Sudanese men in Saudi Kingdom labor like slaves but they oversleep in their country!” President Al-Bashir is said to say this.  Was Yonis Bihi Okay when he accepted atrocity to describe 50, 000 deaths minimum according to Africa’s Watch? He accepted few hundreds of victims in Darfur to be the worst massacre since Rwanda Genocide when Collin Powel and Koffi Annan called the few rebel deaths “the epicenter of major earthquake (referring to countable deaths of Darfur) which the West blown out of proportions for political motives but rational people of the world understood by saying US led West is shedding crocodile tears to dislodge working president who rejected western lecturing and dictations.

Where the disastrous journey will end? Where inconclusive talks will end?  Let us expect the best of the both worlds. Hope springs internal.  

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

1 COMMENT

  1. Someone stole black and white auschwitz pictures skulls. Somalia is coming clean by admitting atrocities on both sides occurred. Armed SNM is to blame executing a lot more than the military that was protecting the civilians from Clan run amok from cleansing all that was not theirs.

  2. The author mixes facts with fiction and slender with praise. No self respecting Somalilander would call the current minister for foreign affairs, if at all that person is mentally fit. No matter what this author and his cohorts right , it is a well know fact that Mr. Bihi is working his butt off to improve the lives of Somalilanders and the majority of my people no the facts and will not listen to a bitter person, who does not understand reality from his delusion. The author doesn't understand that people around the world and even the most powerful countries including the USA and Russia will do anything to get foreign investment. The Somaliland Foreign Minister doesn't live in the stone age mentality like the author of this piece but understand how the world works and is trying to lie the foundation for our future generations. If you don't get economic growth now, you will remain backward for the coming century and our future generations will curse people like Dirye.

  3. We hear angry separatist parking like a dog every day, getting angrier and desperate and even attacking their separatist leaders, He said "Ma gaaribaa nala rogmey? may be it will in the future bc no separation is on the horizon, atrocity is the best word to describe of what happened in Somaliland during the 80,s since genocide is a systematic and deliberate killing of civilians, War is ugly and it was two armies fighting and unfortunately as usual civilians were caught in the cross fire.

  4. How is that this people overlook the fact that their cities were hiding ruthless, cowardly and tribal-minded armed terrorists? No, they will just stick to their version of the story–do away with facts..SNM was armed terrorists that were hiding in their cities…robbing government institutions, destroying government infrastructure wherever they could find…SNM is to blame any "atrocity" if it ever took place but to hell with facts…you will always remain the angry hateful and circle-thinking trash you're…

  5. I think somali sych never developed or will never grow . They all blame and try to tarnish SNM forces who was came on bc the ugly dictator's work specially on the first clan that he thought were his enemy. if all somali clans would have aligned with snm they would have saved the union. and the somali republic.snm was the best rebel forces in africa that saved the region from the tyrant and gave the rule to the civilians. now the somali region that have problems is the south. south should his gv and give up this blue flag they think is their . They should come up with new flag and leave alone the north or somaliland …

  6. Who is this self-anointed, one-man-wonder who wrote this trash? He believes, obviously, he is the only intelligent answer to Somaliland foreign policy. To him, it is apparent, the rest of us – in his words – "are lacking leadership, maturity, and diplomatic dexterity. ".

    • I am sorry if you feel you are lacking leadership, maturity and 360 degree mental dexterity. That is not what I understood from the author's article.Obviously the author is articulate, visionary and on the right side of history.

      Your ulterior motive to drag and soil the author's reputation is obvious. An educated and a mature man like yourself should not be engaged in such sheepish shots. Next time please attack the man's ideas; not his personality. You have no proof he thinks you are lacking leadership …

      • Sorry Abdi, but the piece contains no ideas, but slanderous defamation of the dead and the living. Perhaps you were reading it upside down.

    • Yeh, I hope he better than any..–Why? because he did some how.

      You do sth, instead to answer others.

  7. I am bored, we read this garbage over and over again. Please come up with a new story, this line of yours has been beaten to death and repeating the same thing all the time will only drive you crazy.

  8. I find it very hard to read the above article – and only have come to the conclusion the author is either enviousness, holding grudge – both the current success of Sland- Representative including late Egal bless him. best stick with fiction and stop confusing young readers – minds, and come clean.

    just bear in mind, what you write will be testify on you, on day of judgment No doubt and do not your pen or thoughts run away with you. Greater day awaits all – nk facts!!

  9. Shameful and slanderous piece by an ignorant person. This person doesn't even leave the dead out of his insulting writings. Very cheap thing and deserves no comment!

  10. Envious, shallow-minded and a very bitter person are the words that came to my mind after reading this article by Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye. Actually, this sounds as if it was written by the same author who wrote another similar controversial piece about a week ago and I only remember his first name as Saeed.

  11. rage u have womanish character u read it as u admitted it, say it worth reading be a man, or it is an insult to urself to say i read and called t otherwise.

  12. It is unfortunate that some Somalilanders can not accept ideas other than those they prescribe to. They see everything through the lens of clan dogma. Whenever anyone critiques our president or government the end result is hurled insults, character assassination and personal attacks.

    Everyone has a right to his opinion no matter how controversial that opinion might be. We need to grow beyond the clanish mindset and defend or support ideas on their merits or demerits. No one can advance their intellect unless they accept ideas that oppose and shake their believes to the core. Western civilization depends on accepting controversial ideas. How many times have you been asked in college to defend or advocate on ideas you do not subscribe to such aethism (I am muslim).

    I do not Mr. Dirye nor do I know his clan but what I know is that he is expressing his disgust with our government and political elites. Now can you honestly defend against his thesis without attacking his personality. I hope you do and be successful at it.

    • Look at your ugly clannish face on the mirror before you point fingers at others. You are Saeed/ Abdi/ Deriye so take a hike. We are fed up of your arrogance and ignorance,